RWT donates hundreds of limbs to Africa
Date of release: 1 December 2023
Wolverhampton’s amputee rehabilitation service has reached a landmark number of charity donations – seeing hundreds of African people become more mobile and enjoy a new lease of life.
Pictured with the artificial limbs, from left: Dawn Crofts, Clinical Lead and Contract Manager Blatchford (RWT’s subcontractor), Sue Hayes, Specialist Occupational Therapist (RWT), Neula Hilton (Legs4Africa), Ray Smith, Prosthetic Technician, and Kaltoum Hamdani, Prosthetic Technician
Donations of artificial legs from Maltings Mobility Centre near Wolverhampton City Centre have reached their highest amount since the charity Legs4Africa (L4A) started collecting data in 2019, with an estimated 255 prosthetic legs. This amounts to approximately 765 kgs saved from landfill.
Project Get Legs to Africa 2023 allows L4A to collect unwanted legs from hospitals across the UK, Europe, USA, and Canada, dismantling them into their component parts.
L4A then ships the usable parts to Orthopaedic workshops across sub-Saharan Africa, where Prosthetists and Technicians use them to build or repair legs at a highly reduced cost to people who need them.
Amputees in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal and Gambia have benefitted from the rescue of more than 15,000 prosthetic legs since the charity started a decade ago, and in the first half of 2023 alone, a record 1,564 prosthetic feet were shipped to those countries.
The Maltings Mobility Centre, which is part of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), only supports lower limb absence rehabilitation so provides those parts from the prosthetic legs it has had returned. Those donations are part of 1,036 legs collected from the UK, EU, USA and Canada since January 2023.
Lou Tisdale, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Amputee Rehabilitation at Maltings Mobility Centre, said: “Wolverhampton’s Limb Absence Rehabilitation service is always pleased to support Legs4Africa.
“When limbs are returned to us by patients no longer able to benefit from them or by a bereaved family I know it’s reassuring to those individuals that the parts will be used to promote independence in others.”
Legs4Africa said: “We want to commend you for your support with your total donations of 255. Each leg averaged over the volume of the above knee, and below the knee, prosthesis weighs about three kg – so The Maltings Mobility Centre has been responsible for 765 kgs being saved from landfill. Thank you.”
Maurice Rondo, Prosthetist/Orthotist at AJMA Orthopaedic Services, Tanzania, said: “By receiving L4A prosthetic leg components, AJMA has reached the most vulnerable people in rural areas.
“These areas are lacking Orthopaedic services and most amputees couldn’t afford to pay for prosthetic feet as well as travel costs to reach Orthopaedic centres. In 2023, through L4A, 60 amputees are getting prosthetic legs at a very low cost.”
With 950 patients, any limbs donated by the Maltings Mobility Centre is a small proportion of the prosthetic legs its provides. But it is happy to accept limbs from more families if they wish to donate them.
L4A assures RWT the limbs are reused in a safe and sustainable way. Before the end of 2023, the charity also wants to save 2,500 prosthetic legs from landfill and to get 1,500 feet on the ground.
ENDS
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
